The invention relates to a device for detachably coupling tubes together, and more particularly for detachably coupling tubes for use as part of a handle and actuator system for a remote spray assembly.
Common aerosol cans and similar pressurized spray canisters are most frequently actuated by a user directly pressing a button or other structure that activates the can's valve. Typically, this means that the user must directly hold the canister in his or her hand, and the surface to be sprayed must be no further away than can be reached by the spray pattern of the canister.
This will present problems for some applications. For example, except for some specialty sprays designed to project a narrow stream a long distance (such as certain conventional wasp sprayers), most common aerosol sprays tend to fan out quite quickly. Consequently, a user cannot apply the spray to a small, localized area such as a window sill, an area under a bush or other plant, or the like, unless the can (and therefore the user's hand) can be within inches of the target area.
In any event, many users would prefer to keep their distance from certain sprays, such as pesticides, regardless of the capability of the sprayer. Even when there is no danger in the proper use of the pesticide, they desire separation simply as a matter of aesthetic preference.
Because of these and other issues, devices for spraying a remote target or area have been developed, such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2003/0053846, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. This application describes a device for spraying pesticides, agricultural treatment chemicals, and/or other chemicals, the device having a housing configured to retain a spray canister, an actuator rod on the housing, a shaft connected to the housing, and a linkage to trigger the spray canister to effectuate remote spraying.
While this device is very useful for maintaining a distance between a user and the chemical being sprayed, the tube segments which make up the shaft were designed for permanent assembly. Thus, it can be difficult to disassemble the tubes for maintenance and/or other reasons such as more compact storage between uses.
Some devices for providing a detachable connection between tubes in a tubular shaft are known in the art. One common method for locking two tubes together is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,522. Here, a resilient pin is directly affixed to the inside of one tube and springs outward through a hole in that tube, and then, upon assembly, through a hole in the next tube. However, the installation of the pin can be somewhat costly, and can be somewhat difficult to manufacture in a consistently reliable manner.
Another device with coupling features was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,624. There, a flexible coupler was used for detachably coupling adjacent tubes. The coupler had a pair of outwardly directed flexible prongs which can be compressed and then detachably inserted into corresponding holes on an adjacent piece of a multi-segment cleaning member. While this device did serve a coupling purpose, there were no means provided for aligning, retaining, and guiding an axially movable member, as required for triggering a spray canister remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,741 showed a coupling device having outward projections for detachably coupling to a rectangular rail which included a central bore for retaining an axial member. Here, however, the coupling device was coupled only to a single rail, and is therefore not useful for coupling a pair of tubes or rails together.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,677 illustrated a coupling device in which prongs radially extend through a single tubular member.
Thus, a need still exists for an improved detachable tube assembly, particularly one useful in a remote sprayer.